Friday, June 3, 2011

Around here, we live bent low.

Tuesday morning ladies from Masese stream through my front door. We have moved our weekly meeting from the slum of Masese to my living room because I have been up all night and just can’t imagine getting all 13 of these little people out of the house. Excited about a change of pace and my sweet friends in my home, I enlist the help of darling Tamara and 13 eager little girls to give these ladies pedicures. We wash and we rub and we paint. I rub lotion into old scarred feet and think of the journeys they have traveled. I whisper thanks for the ways they have blessed me and the things they have taught me, and here in a puddle on the hard tile floor, Joy overflows.

It is on this same cold, smooth tile that I kneel hours later, face inches away from the burn on Makerere’s calf. The stench doesn’t even bother me anymore. And while it looks horrific to outside eyes, I remember what it looked like months ago and ever so slowly, I can see the healing. I can see the healing in the blood red life that spills out as I bandage and in the smiling eyes that tell me stories as I work. Laying on my belly with a surgical blade I scrape out the dead and do my best to preserve the new pink tissue that is starting to form around the edges. He laughs and says, “I have told you now all the stories I have! It must be your turn.” And I tell him a story of a Heavenly King born as a pauper and of a Body broken for me and for him and for each one of us. And I don’t even realize but there are tears on the tile and I sit astonished that messy, inadequate, ungraceful me would get to share such a story.

We sit in the dirt, not worried about the red stains and serve 400 plates of food to sponsored children on Saturday. I look into these faces and remember them nearly 4 years ago, destitute and hopeless and starving. Afraid of my funny white skin. We feed them lunch and we feed them God’s Word and we watch them transform. We feel like family now, no one noticing these skin differences. The suns rays beat down the glory of God and covered in mud and chicken broth I know that this is contentment.

Our family sits on the street corner down town sharing ice cream and laughter. My daughter bends low to offer a homeless man her popsicle and as he cries that no one cares about him she looks straight into his face. “We will be your family,” she asserts, and she means it. We kneel on the pavement and we pray and people stop to look but we hardly notice because we were made for this.

We bend.

I bend to sweep crumbs and I bend to wipe vomit and I bend to pick up little ones and wipe away tears. I bend over a big pot of stew and I bend to fold endless laundry and I bend over math books and spelling sentences and history quiz corrections. And at the end of these days I bend next to the bed and I ask only that I could bend more, bend lower.

Because I serve a Savior who came to be a servant. He lived bent low. And bent down here is where I see His face.

He lived, only to die.

Could I?

Die to self and just break open for love.

This Savior, His one purpose to spend Himself on behalf of messy us. Will I spend myself on behalf of those in front of me?

And people say, “Don’t you get tired?” and yes, I do. But I’m face to face with Jesus in the dirt, and the more I bend the harder and better and fuller this life gets. And sure, we are tired, but oh we are happy. Because bent down low is where we find fullness of Joy.

Praying for you as you bend today for whoever is in front of you. He will meet you there.

I led them with cords of human kindness and ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. Hosea 11:4Beautiful post Katie! Love you so much! Praying for your family and for precious time with Gwen and Suzanne!

A friend (www.sunnymama.net) posted a link to your site on fb, and although I don't have the time to stop & investigate most things my friends post, I felt pulled your link. The title of her post read, "Please Lord allow me to bend as low as you, to not be served but to serve. Beautiful post for all to read and think about...".

Your words are so poetic. Your love for Jesus first is evident, and the service you give is just the fruits of his spirit pouring out of your life. Thank you for this. You will be lifted up in prayer, sister!

I'm crying...I will share a link to your post on my blog today. Hugs and prayers as we all strive to bend lower.

I love the song talking about meeting Jesus. As it talks about whether we will meet Jesus with singing, dance, or falling to the knees...all I can think of is being face first on the ground worshiping. Thank you for this post. It gives me a better perspective today...everyday.

I want to be living your life... but it's not mine to live. I'm waiting for God to work on my husband (or to change my heart's desires) to want to go into missions... and yet I find myself being so unfaithful in the things that are right in front of me... Thanks for the reminder that He came to serve and to give his life. And that I will find the most joy when I am serving where he has place me.

what a prayer to pray - as a Momma - I need to pray this prayer every single moment, because sometimes I forget to bend low! It is as if the lower we bend, the higher we serve and for some reason I forget that too often. Awesome post. Sunshine

Beautiful! It's a good thing I can type my response, because I can't even speak right now. The tears are flowing. What an incredible gift you have been given. Faith. You are so very blessed to be there, being the hands and feet of Jesus, living with nothing material, but being fulfilled just to bend. May we all be inspired.

Oh, Katie! WOW! I can't even begin to describe what an inspiration you are to me!! I thank God that you let Him constantly pour His love through your life into the lives of others- both where you live and all around the world! Praying that God blesses you and your girls and Amazina TREMENDOUSLY!! Sooo love your heart full of God and His love!! Thank you!!!

...so AMAZING! I was forwarded your blog url earlier today after talking to a friend about another friend who is on the way to Ethiopia to adopt a little girl.

I began reading your blog with the most recent post, then read all of 2011 and then went to the beginning and read 2007 ... What a transformation!! God is awesome and he is doing a wonderful work in you and through you! Praise be to God for his ability to use broken vessels to touch lives and do amazing things!

To look back at how you have matured in three + years brings tears to my eyes. To take a lovely young woman with the love of God in her heart and place her half way around the world is one thing. To take her from "willing to serve" and stretch her into a "beautiful soul bent low in service" is simply remarkable.

May God our Father continue to bless you richly with the strength and compassion you need to bend low each day, to pray over the lost and hurting and to welcome the little children as your own. Even if their life is measured in minutes.

I´m a girl from Mexico, I´m AMAZED of what are you doing,but even more of your heart for Christ, that makes me be closer to Him, know him even more. thank you soooo much, for sharing your life, you are a tremendous blessing. I don´t know where God will send me, but i definetly want to follow him.. sometimes its hard to get focuse because all the distractions we have, but i definetly want to use them for good.. I love your heart for others... My dream its to go to Africa too! please pray for me.. and THANK YOU for taking care for all those lifes as jesus did..

I just returned home Masaka, Uganda. I went on a mission trip and God truly has His hand on the ministries there! Those children are precious and their voices melted my heart! Thank you for doing what God called you to do! You are blessing those children by your service, but I truly believe Our Savior blesses our hearts when we are obeying Him and it makes me joyful doing what He has called me to do , so I know He is doing the same for you. I would love to meet you and maybe visit your village someday! May God continue to bless you and the ministry He has created through you over and over! And I will say "Seca" because that is what I said a million times so they would smile....:)Amy, 16..Gallatin, TN

Amazing! This post almost takes my breath away. How clearly you are living out the gospel, and you are also teaching the same to your children. I will be praying for you that the Lord will continue to give you strength. You are a blessing, and your words are always an encouragement to me! I am thankful for you and your life, although I have never met you!

Amazing! This post almost takes my breath away. How clearly you are living out the gospel, and you are also teaching the same to your children. I will be praying for you that the Lord will continue to give you strength. You are a blessing, and your words are always an encouragement to me! I am thankful for you and your life, although I have never met you!

It's what we're made for... to bend low... bent low with prayer, low with service. And that's where we meet Him. You captured it perfectly in this post. Thank you so for the blessed reminder, dearest Katie!

I am a new reader to your blog and I have to say I am in awe of your heart! Your words are so powerful and well-written. I pray that I, too, can bend lower. Many blessings to you and your beautiful family!

Katie, I am so happy to hear about Makarere. It sounds as if he is making good progress. I pray for him each day, think about his burn, pray for your work with him. I am happy I could be with him and you that one day and wish there could be others...I miss Uganda and hope I can return to help others...God bless you and your family! (Nancy)

As I read your words I could feel the Spirit moving. Thank you for the reminder that bending low is a blessing, not a scourge. And that in doing so, we bend closer to the heart of God. Lord that we may keep pressing into You, unworthy as we are!

Good morning Katie, A new foster toddler came into our home yesterday...one of many who will pass through our lives...or will this little guy be one who will stay with us? Perhaps...Perhaps not. After excitedly reading you newest post I pray that God will enable me to BEND to simply lift this child of God UP. Let our little one know that God loves him and his life is blessed before he leaves our home...which may be in 3 weeks or 18 years...God, I'm just your little girl. I need your strength to lift this little boy! Love, MommyMary2Many

Thank you, Katie, for speaking Truth into my life this morning. Praying for our Lord to sustain you and deepen your joy as you bend for Him. Thankful you are willing to share the story of what He is doing in and through you. Grace and peace to you and your girls.

I am always so humbled when I read your blog. I just convinced my husband to turn off our cable TV and home phone service in an effort to save money and live more humbly. Yet it doesn't compare...I'm not getting lower and lower in my effort to reach Christ. But I will. Thank you.

You do not know me. My name is Beckie I live in Silver City, NM. Thank you for the example you live. I pray I will learn to "live down low" here in our community. Maybe my mission will be my children or they elderly. I pray I will here our Lord. Thanks for the reminder that I need to get down on my knees and listen. I will keep you and yours in my prayers. See you in Heaven!!!

Sitting at home in my 'easy' chair and marveling at the wisdom of this young lady I had the opportunity to visit with a year ago. It was an honor to witness her love and devotion for all her children she cares for. Continue to pray for Katie and support her efforts.

Your commitment to Jesus Christ is so inspiring. I pray that my heart for servitude could grow to what yours is. I adopt and have foster children, but I carry a chip on my shoulder because no matter how much I love my kids, I still get paid to keep them. I wish I didn't need the money to care for them, but I do. Thank you for your encouragement.

You don't know me, and I don't know you. Not too sure how I stumbled upon your blog, but I can tell you that you are an absolute inspiration. My heart is moved by each sentence you write knowing you are in a deep, abiding relationship with your Creator, doing the only thing that makes sense to you, now that you share His heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Maybe one day my fiance and I can join you. She's going to be a nurse. Know there are those out there, nameless faces that are praying for you.

You are amzing, and my eye opener. I am a mother of 3 and within the past couple of months God has chosen and called my husband and I to Uganda. I have been wrestling back and forth with how will i be able to homeschool and how will these people receive my family. But thank you for reminding me that its not about me. It's all about Him. May God bless you for your faithfulness to serve. Shea T.

Thank you Katie...for your young life teaching older lives here..and there. For a heart broken for Jesus's people...for eyes that see Him in all of them. Praying right now that as you bend, He will fill..today, and then again tomorrow. Blessings to you and your sweet household...

here across the world, i live a shadow of your life...i bend to sweep, to cook, to comfort, bend myself in illness as another baby comes, bend to teach, to clean, to read His words, bend to kiss my 7 sets of sun kissed cheeks at night, bend my will to His as i remember it is in losing myself i will find myself. sometimes it is easy to forget He sees the mothers bent knee. sometimes it is hard to remember THAT is following in His footsteps and becoming perfect even as He is...funny how my vision of perfect looks so different than i thought it would~ your life is perfect, my life is perfect...a perfect offering, all things perfected through His love.

Thanks for your inspiration Katie. Thank you for serving Elohim's Children. Thank you for your kindness, love and devotion. We love you. Praying for you nightly. Blessings to you and your family from Adonai XXOO

I am brought to tears at the beautiful picture of the gospel you and your family are to so many. Praise Him for giving you opportunity to be His hands and feet, and for encouraging your brothers and sisters all over the world.

Katie, I was with Dwight's team from Colorado in Jan. You are wise beyond your years and that is because you are so very obedient to God. He is working through you each and every day. What a witness you are to so many spiritually starving people. God Bless you !!! We are praying for you endurance and strength to keep bending low.Love, Ellen w

Katie. You are an amazing example of Christ's heart and will and this earth. You inspire me and you challenge me to grow deeper with the Lord and act more from His heart. You are an amazing blessing. Know that you bless the Father's heart and He is extremely proud of you. I am also proud if you and you are a blessing to me too!

"I am face to face with Jesus in the dirt." These words resonate deep within my soul. Your work reaches farther than the country you are in. It is also spreading back home, waking the hearts of those who know better, but have chosen to life selfishly and indulgently. I am humbled and broken. Thank you for letting Him use you.

My goodness, you are beautiful! Your reflections have once again caused me to weep. Oh how I want to be more like you, and ultimately... more like Jesus. Thank you for being a mighty servant of our KING! Prayers for you daily--dianne :)

I have never met you in real life, but through your magical words I feel I am walking with you on "the journey" - you are so inspiring to me! I read your blog from start to finish as if it were a book, and I am now anxiously awaiting the next post. You are living a life I wish to live - raising beautiful girls and doing beautiful work for Humanity. Please continue making this world a beautiful, better place!

I "discovered" your blog through a link from another site on June 15th, the day before my 18 year old daughter left for a mission trip to Uganda. My daughter already knew of you and had been reading your blog for some time. I am amazed by your story and in awe of what God is able to do through someone who is wholly commited to him. What a role model you are for other young women. I pray my daughter will also be captured by God's heart for Uganda.

I read your blog, SHC's and Amazima's blogs every week and I had begun to feel worthless and lazy next to you and SHC's dedication and work. I am a stay at home mom in the US, I have too much stuff and I complain way too much. I've been begging God to change my heart and to give me "real" Christian work to do. I just read this blog for the 3rd time and God nudged me to read your words in the context of my life and my "struggles". It made me realize that my work is not less important than your work and I need to approach it with as much love and dedication as you and Rene do, I need to sacrifice for those around me NOW. We don't get to choose where our work will be performed much of the time, esp if you are not listening for God to tell you where to go (me in my youth), but in the end God will ask each and everyone of us in Heaven, "What did you do for someone else while you were there on Earth?" Thank you for sharing your life and love for Jesus Christ our Savior with all of us. Blessings to you and yours.

I read your blog all the time, but this is the first time I've posted anything. You are so inspiring with the work God does through you for those people. I will keep praying for you, and I know God is touching lives through you everyday.

After coming home from 2 weeks of work in South Africa, I sat at VBS tonight. One lady said, "We are in the mission field," and I was reminded that we must look around us wherever we are and see His mission.

May I bend low wherever I am, and seek to serve His children.

Thank you for your encouragement Katie. May I teach my girls to serve others as you are teaching yours....by example.

Your life has touched so many others with stories of faith, hope, and genuine service. It made me think sgain how I can do my part to become a missionary even though I'm staying where I am now, I am filled with hope that I could make it happen. Thank you for letting us have a glimpse of your life.

Missing so much to hear about you all. I pray God´s eyes are upon you and that yours don´t get away from Him. (It´s amazing what God´s done through your writing...He´s planted in our hearts your little kids lives and His love.)

Consider medical school, maybe pediatrics or pediatric surgery. or plastic surgery (burn survivors), Ear nose and throat (cleft palate and lip repair). I know you are getting a lot of encouragement. Remember take care of yourself. You cannot take care of others until you are well enough yourself.

Amen. Amen. Amen. I came across your blog after hearing an NPR feature on you this morning. Your testimony brought me to tears. In it, I saw the true heart and deeds of Jesus. In it, I felt a warmth and love much more profound than my feeble words could ever articulate.

In my own journey, I must admit that God's lessons about humility tire my flesh even while deeply enriching my soul. I often say that every time I don't think I can become any more humble, God figures out another way to show me otherwise. Isn't that the whole point of life, though?

Thanks for reminding me once again that I have SO much work to do to become more like Him. You made me realize that becoming more and more humble goes hand in hand with bending lower and lower to serve Him. More than a blessing, it truly is THE only way to experience heaven on Earth.

Thank you for reminding me that fulfilling His promise starts with ME today and no one else. Yes, every moment I breathe is an opportunity to bend. I pray for the strength to do so every second, every day.

Wow! God bless you, Katie. Thank you for that last statement, it was just what I needed to hear. If you can raise 14 children at such a young age with little resources, then surely I can raise 3. Whenever I feel tired I will think of this. Thank you.

Hello! I'm new to your blog, I heard about you through my friend Casia's blog-who I believe you've just met. I just wanted to say, what a powerful and moving entry. What a gifted writer you are... and what a gifted woman. I look forward to following you and your journey, and I look forward to praying for you and your family each day.

What God is doing through you is superb!! It's changing lives in Africa AND all over the world. Anyone who reads your blogs is a changed person. I am!! I thank God that He molded you in this way. To help save us all from ourselves. To STOP Populaton Me' and start looking around for those in need of a helping hand, a kind word, a bowl of food...whatever it takes! Your blogs are my 2nd Bible. They are becoming air to me... I can't have my day until I have read and re-read your blogs. I pass what you are doing on to whoever will listen. You are a miracle!

And you give all the praise and joy and credit to Jesus, because He is your inspiration, your strength. Your writing is graphic and powerful. A Max Lucado type of message for me. I have you blog now bookmarked. I have committed to go to Uganda summer of 20012 with a few my daughter is leading with her husband through Children's Hopechest. You help me realize there is so much that can be done. So much.

A little late to comment on this post probably but I have found lately that I say "awesome" a lot. I hate using words that really have a profound meaning too much because it loses some of the impact I think but Jesus has shown himself alot to me lately and I can't keep from saying "awesome" because I can't think of a word to describe His greatness not nearly enough..I don't think there is one. I was humbled before I read this blog, this entry is awesome. Prayed for you..

Is there anyway I can come and serve in these ministries? I'm a Christian and have no children. 46 year old female from US and would love to take care of these children. I admire Kate for taking such loving care of these children.

to bend low, that God bends low to listen to me, to love me, that Jesus made himself low to serve me, and i cannot move one finger to serve?

ive been sick for two years now, and it has taken its toll--kept me from serving, loving in the way that i want to, even though i have four children. i have known that joy before. i want it again--all for His glory and that i could be satisfied in Him.

thank you for writing this--for being honest and for letting the eyes be upon you. because we need to hear your story.

You were such an inspiration when I heard you speak this past Sunday. I started reading your blog, just a bit at a time, just to try and catch up. You need to know that you are an inspiration not only to where you're bending, but to the people back home. Thank you for sharing! God please Bless Katie today -

Our priest read this entry from the pulpit about a month ago. Challenging all of us to "bend low". I've been following your blog since then and just received your book as a gift from my husband. We are beginning the adoption process next Tuesday. With four still at home in a small 3 bedroom one bathroom we hope and pray we will still be accepted. You are in our prayers. Pray for us as we also seek to follow God's will.Rebecca

My favorite post. I read it all the time. I know exactly what you're talking about, but sometimes I need to be reminded that bending into the dirt of Kenya is worthwhile, because we see the very face of Jesus Christ in that dirt. In the orphan's faces. In long nights with a baby struggling to hold onto life.